Apple sends care packages to quarantined employees

The tech company is also supporting workers with counselling and consultation services

Apple sends care packages to quarantined employees

Despite the continuing lockdown of key cities in China, Apple has found a way to reach out to its employees: by sending them a care package.

The cities of Wuhan and Wenzhou were among those quarantined by Chinese officials soon after the outbreak of the highly contagious respiratory illness Covid-19 in mid-January.

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The Apple CareKit, which was first reported by tech website MacRumors, purportedly contained a note along with ‘comfort items’: food (coffee, butter cookies and Hershey’s candies); medical supplies (face masks and hand sanitisers); and a new iPad to help the employees’ families, especially the children, continue with their online schooling or to find a way to “pass the time during the prolonged stay at home”.

“We understand the difficulties you are facing and would like to provide our best support to you and your families,” the note was quoted in an Apple Insider report.

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The Cupertino company is also said to be supporting workers in China with an Employee Assistance Program, which includes counselling and consultation services, through its partner ComPsych. 

The deadly coronavirus outbreak has forced businesses across China, including Apple, to shut down physical stores and manufacturing hubs, and to move some operations online.

The quarantine has also been dubbed by industry observers as the “largest work-from-home experiment in history”. Employees from a wide range of industries continue to log into digital collaboration channels and report to work amid the lockdown.